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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Fasten Your Seat Belts, Kids!

COUNTDOWN....We're two weeks and two days from one of two things: We're about to observe the biggest electoral upset since 1948 ("DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN") or we're about to commit economic suicide. Take your pick.

Ya wanna believe. Ya gotta believe! All year long I've been telling anyone who was willing to listen to my tirades that the so-called Tea Party was going to explode in the face of the Republican party like a hand grenade lobbed into your dining room by your friendly, next-door neighbor. Surely, I thought, the moderate voters will take one good look at the reactionary mess that is the present-day GOP and they'll flock to vote for the Democrats out of sheer terror. In only one region of the country, however, does this phenomenon appear to be playing out. The bat shit extremism of Carl Paladino in New York and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware have rendered their candidacies dead in the water. There's a damned good reason why I live in the northeast, folks.

But in the rest of the country, the "real" America, the Tea Party candidates seem to have their respective elections locked up. I haven't given up hope. As the great and deceptively wise Yogi Berra once philosophized, "It ain't over till it's over." Sage wisdom indeed. We still have sixteen days and - as the old adage tells us - that's a lifetime in politics, baby! We also have a fact on our side that by now is a part of the natural order of things:

The sun will rise in the eastThe moon will set in the westThe right wing will behave like assholes

It really is as simple as that. The cockeyed optimist inside of me assures me that between now and then they will have gone so far over the top, the voters will flee like frightened children to the left - just like they did when they sent Franklin D. Roosevelt to the White House in 1932. But there is that nasty side of my personality that sees things as they really are - not as I would like them to be. My inner realist is telling me,

"What the hell is the matter with you Degan??? Are you so naive that you would even entertain the silly notion that a country which twice - HAPPILY! - elected a moronic yahoo like George W. Bush is going to fare any better during this election cycle? Get a freakin' grip, Buster!"

Alas, this is probably the reality of the situation - a reality so unsettling that I am having a difficult time coming to grips with it. Only a mass, intellectual earthquake between now and Election Day will cause the American people to wake up to the harsh truth. Much of the blame for what is about to happen to this once-great nation may be properly laid at the front door of the Democratic party. As Theodore Roosevelt once declared in a slightly different context, they have "all the backbone of a chocolate eclair!" Indeed. This is no longer the party of TR's distant cousin Franklin. It's not even close. The fact that Harry Reid is neck and neck with a half-witted buffoon like Sharon Angle is instructive on so many levels - all of them too depressing to even contemplate.

IT'S MOURNING IN AMERICA

I guess this is as good a time as any to do the old Get Out The Vote pitch, huh? As I stated a couple of weeks ago ("The Base's Hissy Fit", 29 September) staying home and sulking on the second of November is not the smart thing to do. Yes, I know! The Obama administration has not necessarily been a progressive's dream boat. They have been timid and tepid in too many areas where bold and decisive action was required. Since the day after he was inaugurated I've been saying that his biggest mistake was in thinking he could work with the extremist clowns who have hijacked the Republican party. He can't. By this stage in the game this fact must be abundantly clear to him. He should stop the charade of trying to make nice with these people and steamroll the hideous bastards if he has to - while he still has a majority. As someone once said, "Politics ain't bean bag" - whatever the hell that means.

It's a given that the nastiest mid-term campaign in living memory is only going to get nastier in the two weeks left to it.The grim choice before us is the choice between two political parties - one thoroughly corrupted; the other the picture of incompetence and timidity. I realize that our options aren't many. I would only ask you to think of it as choosing between brain cancer and athlete's foot. While the latter may be annoying at best - and curable - the former is a literal death sentence. How's that for an analogy?

And you tell me over and over againYou don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Barry McGuire

So sit back and try to enjoy the ride as America spirals into the abyss. What other choice do we have than to make the best of a tragic situation? The United States of America is screwed. It's best days are behind it. And the American people are too stupid to even vaguely comprehend the gravity of their situation. Whaddaya say we take these lemons and make us some lemonade?

Tom DeganGoshen, New Yorktomdegan@frontiernet.net

SUGGESTED READING:

The River of Doubtby Candice Millard

Five years after he left office in the late winter of 1914, former president Theodore Roosevelt set off on an exposition to map out an uncharted river that snaked its way through the Amazon jungle. The strenuous journey lasted four months, nearly cost him his life - and probably led to his early death in January of 1919. If you want to understand what an incredible human being TR was, you need to read this book. I cannot recommend it enough.

86 Comments:

For an excellent portrayal of our esteemed corporatist president, David Michael Green explains the many paradoxes of this sitting president and, to put it bluntly, asks what the fuck is he thinking? Personally, I'm (almost) at a loss for words. Here are Mr. Obama's, by way of The Smirking Chimp...

"Mr. Obama predicted that his political rivals would either be chastened by falling short of their electoral goals or burdened with the new responsibility that comes from achieving them. 'It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, they feel more responsible, either because they didn't do as well as they anticipated, and so the strategy of just saying no to everything and sitting on the sidelines and throwing bombs didn't work for them,' Mr. Obama said. 'Or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals and work with me in a serious way.'"

As far as Mr. Obama, I don't get him at all. The only way I can possibly interpret what he meant, is that after the republiFascists take control of congress, he'll go into full corporatist mode. So then, naturally, they'll work well with him -- or rather he with them. In other words, we haven't seen nothing yet! Maybe "chapter two" is the final shakedown of the American middle (what's left) and working classes, as per the shadow government playbook.

What other logical explanation is there?

p.s. By the way, Tom, I've changed my stance on voting third-party this go-around. I'll hold my nose and vote democratic. I need more time to plan and finance my escape from this crumbling empire, before the wheels completely come off the jalopy. They're still going to come off, but at least with the democrats in office it'll get a little further down the road before they do.

Well, Tom, several ways to look at it. Is the glass half full or half empty? Polls don't mean a damned thing, mainly because so much of America today is exclusively cell phone oriented and polls usually question only land lines. Then the bottom line is not what the polls or anyone says, but who actually gets out and votes.

One would hope that the crazies have shot themselves in the foot enough that the voice of reason would speak to sane, thinking people (other than you and me, is there anyone else left?). Meanwhile, if they DO win, can you imagine Boehner trying to deal with these people. Just think, he would have to haul his ass out of a bar and his tanning bed and actually do some work. No more sitting back and just saying "no".

Keep in mind that regardless of who wins, dogs can chase cars but they can't drive them.

That's okay, buddy, my mind can fill in some of the rest. With Darlene, I've been trying to get prepared: 1)Put in a call to my shrink friend for a little generic prozac, 2)Committed to attend the Stewart/Colbert Rallies to get a jump start on the endorphins, 3)Started planning to turn my lawn into a huge subsistence garden, and 4)Updating my visa just in case the garden is not sufficient. Do you think I should get a gun?

I think in one sense you answered your own question towards the end of the last paragraph where you talk about the less than spectacular performance or reception(Pick point of view) on the part of Obama and company. Seemingly Barack, Michelle, Joe Biden and the other "Democratice big guns" just don't seem to be gaining any traction with their followers. But as I said above, was it their message or the the publics perception of their message? Its a tough sell to say the media is interferring with getting the Democratic message out I think its quite the opposite in reality. Truly I think the American people are just plain fed up however I hope that they vote the incumbents out, no matter the party. I don't think changing the majority is going to change anything long term. Its sort of watching a football game whereby the other team takes the ball and goes in the oppposite direction but we are still watching the same game being played by the same players. We need a total fresh start otherwise lets just not bother voting and leave it as is because you either change the whole system or you accomplish nothing. On Election Day lets all vote the opposite of who holds the office on that day and I am certain it will be the dawn of a better day.

I agree with The Smirking Chimp. And I never thought I'd be writing THAT sentence:) The Democrats don't seem to have delivered on many of their campaign promises, and we have the same problems with voter disconnection with politics over here in the UK. No-one really believes that one bunch of these career politicos is any better or any more use than the other, we just vote one lot out when we get the chance then grit our teeth. I'm disappointed with Obama, and I'm not even an American!

Oh, and as for closing Guantanamo, why not just dump these people back where you found them if no-one else wants them? Who's going to stop you (you being the US Army or Navy or whoever)?

You invoke FDR but there's a huge difference. FDR and his Democrats stood for things. They ran on an agenda.

The current Democrats have no real agenda because they are owned by the same corporate forces that own the Republicans.

This is why they will lose. People abhorr a vacuum. In politics, something ALWAYS beats nothing, even when something is batshit crazy.

The GOP strategy is fearmongering but to prop up a regressive agenda. The Democratic strategy is also fearmongering (about the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, etc) but without any kind of alternative agenda behind it.

The Democrats would win in a rout if they stood for something. But they don't... and haven't for at least two decades.

Tom,Have you noticed that the Nasties haven't been present on this blog and others like it for a few weeks? Know why? Because they are scared shitless that their stupid mean hearted party is actually going to win and then what?

Brian F. and Tom, I applaud youboth for seeing the real malignancy of our current corporatist government. It serves neither you or me, but only the powerful moneyed (i.e.,corporate) interests. Whether Republican or Democrat, it makes little difference. Even Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief-of-staff to Colin Powell, admitted as much. Listen to what he says here. Watch and listen from 28:35 to the end, where Paul Jay, with TRNN, interviews Mr. Wilkerson. If you prefer, here's the transcript (for this specific part):

JAY: Well, it could be acted on by Americans who can say, we're not going to vote for this whole gang anymore.

WILKERSON: Oh, au contraire, we don't have that choice anymore. We get two idiots to vote for every year, whose campaigns say all manner of things, but whose actual actions are not—I'll quote Ralph Nader here—virtually are not any different from Tom and Jerry. I mean, the two of them are going to do the same thing, because basically what we have today is a corporatocracy: we have the presidents and the Congress in the hands of big food, big pharmacy, big oil, finance, insurance, and real estate. Look at Tim Geithner and Larry Summers. They're quintessential representatives of those communities. And that's who runs this country now. The president doesn't run this country, the secretary of defense and the secretary of state don't run these people, and God help us, the American people don't run this country. Big money runs this country.

JAY: Thanks for joining us.

WILKERSON: Surely.JAY: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.

End of Transcript

As a side-note, I watched a speech that Lawrence Wilkerson gave a few years ago to a college group. In the talk, he said that Eisenhower's farewell speech originally was written with the remark being "military-congressional-industrial complex", but he was advised to remove the "congressional" part because it was feared it would be too explosive.

Wow and to think it was only two short years ago we were so optimistic about Obummer and the new new deal !! This election could have low voter turnout for several reasons. I'm not sure I'll even bother to vote in this election. Holding my nose and voting for a Democrat just doesn't work for me anymore. I think by voting one is showing a faith in our political system which I no longer have, even to a small degree. So voting for a third party candidate won't change that feeling. We now have electronic voting so the thrill of pulling down on that lever and wondering if it is even hooked up to anything is gone now too !! Filling in little circles on a computer card takes all the fun out of it.....makes it seem like another grade school aptitude test, you know ?? Oh, all you folks who are confused by Obummer...it's really very simple, he is and has always been a phony con man. We were just so fucking desperate in 08 he fooled some folks for a while. After seeing what he does versus what he says ( said ) it becomes obvious that he was full of shit the whole time. Not something that fosters continued support amongst those he bullshitted !!!

Re: the side-note by Jefferson's Guardian, Wilkerson's speech, from 2009, can be found (in two parts) on YouTube: search Lawrence Wilkerson Military-Industrial Complex. It's more than worth hearing, it NEEDS to be heard -- though more so by those folks who will never look it up.

Love and Peace back at you, Tom -- but as things are going, I can't bet we'll live to see it.

Seems like a long time since I lived in Goshen, but then not so. I don't know what to think about Nov. 2, i'll be out of town but I will be paying attention. Sadly, I don't share the optimism as you do, but good to see the good people of the State of New York (I do miss you) have come to thier senses. As for the rest of the country, part. the south and parts of the west and mid west, I take it as a tea party paradise.

It is with humility and grace that I respectfully disagree with your posting and the comments from your fans. I read the comments posted on here and the general attitude is to give the GOP the middle finger and ram everything the Progressives want through the congress. The bad news is, that is what happened for the first two years and now we are seeing the results. The problem is, there are not enough progressives to bolster support for these policies (i.e. stimulus, health care reform, etc.).

The majority of the American electorate is not hard right, nor are they hard left, they are moderates, independent and centrists. So catering to the progressives would pacify the bottom 10% at the expense of the other 90%.

If President Obama had done nothing but focus on the economy day after day for 2 years and did nothing else, the Democrats would not be in the position they are in and President Obama would be unbeatable in 2012.

If the President would focus on stopping outsourcing and bringing jobs home instead of hammering the mantra that some jobs are gone forever, we would see such a role reversal in the polling it would give others whiplash.

However, the President signed the stimulus and that was it. For the next two years the focus was on health care, a measure so unpopular that the majority of Democrats are running away from it. And the vast majority of people dont like what this President is trying to sell them. Do we need health care reform? Yes! But why not open the Federal Employee Health Plan to all Americans, its based on free-market principles and you can NOT be turned down for ANY pre-existing condition. The problem is, I would hazard a guess to say that your fellow Progressives dont want any vestiges of free market anywhere in the health care. And therein lies the problem, the American people dont want a goverment run health care system. We like our choices.

One last point is this attitude that the GOP is running on 'fear', they are not running on fear they are simply highlighting the record of this Administration over the past two years, the problem is the mere existence of conservatives, such as myself, and the GOP, the mere fact that the GOP and conservatives draw breath is the source of you and your fellow progressives consternation. I find it very immature and demeaning and frankly does the Progressives a disservice when they resort to calling their conservative colleagues "taliban" (see Alan Grayson's ad against Daniel Webster in FL08)-that kind of talk is frankly disgusting-on BOTH sides.

There will be no need to suffer from depression if the Democrats loose, Dorreen, there is no reason to lay in bed an suffer from depression, life will continue. Yes, there will be a stop to the left-wing, government centered progressive talk that has dominated Washington the past two years but we have elections. And if the GOP does not improve the economic environment they will face the similar fate in 2012.

This attitude that people have that the United States will collapse into a funeral pyre and cease to exist are grossly unfounded and to hear and read that type of attitude in some of the postings in here does not do the Progressive argument any good. It makes you all look like sore loses and petulant children, but to be fair I have done and my colleagues have done the same thing, and I feel the time to knock that stuff off has finally come.

However without fail I didn't get a single word which wasn't derogatory in response to describe those folks from the Northeast. "Rude, Selfish, Snobbish" were some of the less extreme words people used.

The ironic thing is that people, such as yourself, from the Northeast know their reputation and seem proud of it.

Archie Bunker"It might be a good idea to take Nov 3rd off from America's biggest monopoly and progressive brain washing institute, the US school system."If your beliefs are so weak that they can't stand up to exposure to a frazzled teacher in front of too many kids…

"I know you teachers care way more about the kids than your pay, benefits and 25% of the year of not having to work."Pay? Really? Heck, I make more than the average, and it didn't take a degree to get it.And they don't get summers off. Just because they aren't teaching kids doesn't mean that they're not working.

Thomas"If President Obama had done nothing but focus on the economy day after day for 2 years and did nothing else, the Democrats would not be in the position they are in and President Obama would be unbeatable in 2012."He'd be in the same position. From before he took office, the GOP was interested not in governing, but in preventing their "other" from doing so…to the point of them voting against things that they're for.

"For the next two years the focus was on health care…"Which is part of the economy, and part that effects the rest…

"...a measure so unpopular that the majority of Democrats are running away from it."And yet, when polls break out Health Care Reforms points individually, the popularity of each bit exceeds the whole. People being for A and B and C, but being against ABC is an indicator of the success of the relentless Rightwing Noise Machine.And Democrats are running away from it because they've got no balls (the GOP has got balls. Theirs even get bigger when they're wrong).

"If the President would focus on stopping outsourcing and bringing jobs home…"Well, they really should put forward an anti-offshoring bill forward. Oh.

"But why not open the Federal Employee Health Plan to all Americans, its based on free-market principles and you can NOT be turned down for ANY pre-existing condition."If it's such a great idea, why didn't the Party of Ideas bring it up? Could it be because they're for the status quo? Could it be that any ideas, any bi-partisanship they displayed were, in fact, put forward in bad faith? Could they be that cynical?

"The problem is, I would hazard a guess to say that your fellow Progressives dont want any vestiges of free market anywhere in the health care."I don't care. I do care when profit is put ahead of people. If private companies can serve the public and not gouge them, I see no reason why they shouldn't have a seat at the table.

"And therein lies the problem, the American people dont want a goverment run health care system."*ahem*

Thomas"One last point is this attitude that the GOP is running on 'fear', they are not running on fear they are simply highlighting the record of this Administration over the past two years..."Obviously. And Obama is an extreme MarxistMuslimAtheistSocialist with Kenyan anti-colonial values. Also, he came in to an office that contained no history whatsoever. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? His. Deficits? All his. TARP? His. Economic collapse? His. (Note: Not so much). No matter what he does, it's wrong, even if he does the opposite or does nothing at all.His two year record, economically, is pretty good considering how much worse the actual economy was compared to the initial estimates it, considering how wildly obstructionist the opposition party was, and considering his own Blue Dogs.His two year record, Executive Power-wise, is terrible, with continued overreach, lack of action against illegal (and treaty-breaking) actions by the previous adminstration, and defense (and expansion) of State Secrets in any court actions that involve the State. Those things you don't hear the Right bring up much, if at all. I assume that means they're for them. They certainly were during the previous administration (apparently following the Bill of Rights, vis-a-vis Amendments 4-8, is treason. True story).

"...the problem is the mere existence of conservatives, such as myself, and the GOP, the mere fact that the GOP and conservatives draw breath is the source of you and your fellow progressives consternation."No. The problem is not conservatives. The problem is what passes for conservatism these days, Reactionary Authoritarian Tribalism ("We're as mad as hell [now]!" "We're fiscal conservatives [now]!...but don't get rid of Bush's tax cuts!"), of which the Teabaggers are just the right side of.

"I find it very immature and demeaning and frankly does the Progressives a disservice when they resort to calling their conservative colleagues 'taliban' (see Alan Grayson's ad against Daniel Webster in FL08)-that kind of talk is frankly disgusting-on BOTH sides."I tell you what; your side cleans up its act and we'll restrain Grayson. There is no equivalence. What's an abberation on the Left (and, make no mistake, despite the spate of pearl clutching on both sides over the ad, Dan Webster is a nut), is SOP on the Right, and has been since at least the Clinton Administration, via FoxNews, AM talkradio, email lists, church pulpits, Rightwing thinktanks, "Washington insiders" and GOP members of Congress. Don't worry, I can wait.

"Yes, there will be a stop to the left-wing, government centered progressive talk that has dominated Washington the past two years but we have elections."Which Washington are you talking about? The one that I've been watching has typical Democratic rhetoric hovering around the level on the political scale of about Nixon. Heck, Obama would've been a Mod Republican in the 70's or 80's, were it not for the Southern Strategy and Atwater. And that shows just have far right the Right has shifted (with the Dems, at each lurch, following). It’s to the point that Reagan would be a RINO (note: actual Reagan, not “Reagan, Myth of”).

Oh, in the "bad shit Obama's a party to" I forgot his deplorable two-faced stance on gay civil rights (being for dropping DADT publicly while fighting it in court, for instance, which will win him precious few friends on the Right while simultaneously sucking the wind out of his support on the Left).

What I read between the lines is high frustration combined with the desire to place the blame somewhere. Blame can be shared all around – we all own it. What comes to mind is G.K. Chesterton’s response many years ago to the question posed by The Times “What’s wrong with the world today?”. His response, “Dear Sir, I am.” That sentiment smacks at the core of the real truth. If you start to grasp the gravity of that statement – you get closer to understanding the real state of things.

Coming from a country where voting is compulsory and reading a couple of comments here about not voting on the 3rd I find myself amazed. Ok I concede the 2 sides could do better but I look at it this way. If you don't vote you immediately give away the right to comment on what happens after the election. To me a vote isn't only something you do with hope but something that buys a ticket into being able to comment and to be able to raise your voice against injustices within the system. I have often argued this point and I think those who don't vote because of their disappointment at those running are taking the easy way out.Den from Oz

It really is as simple as that. The cockeyed optimist inside of me assures me that between now and then they will have gone so far over the top, the voters will flee like frightened children to the left - just like they did when they sent Franklin D. Roosevelt to the White House in 1932. But there is that nasty side of my personality that sees things as they really are - not as I would like them to be.

I had no idea voting was compulsory in Oz.....damn that tyrant wizard !!!! If folks do vote it better be on the 2nd not the 3rd. As to not voting two points: 1. By being registered and not voting you are expressing dissatisfaction with the political system. Distinguish this inaction from those who do not vote out of laziness or apathy. 2. The illusion that citizens have a say in our political system via their right to vote only serves to prevent meaningful change. So maybe those who no longer want to spin their wheels with a meaningless vote are trying to come up with a better plan ?? My better plan is to leave....trouble is no country wants Amerikan political refugees. Last one to leave Amerika turn out the lights.

Okay, I can't wait to see what kind of smackdowns this brings, but for all of you who are so anxious to stop outsourcing and bring jobs home, how many of you make a conscious effort to buy American made products? Do you really look at the label "Made in...." or do you just go for the cheapest shit shipped in from china?

Tom, it is going to be a great day Nov 3rd when we wake up to see that Nancy "Lets pass the bill in order to find out what is in it" Pelosi will be giving up her big gavel. We taxpayers won't be paying millions for her big jet flying back and forth from coast to coast and polluting the atmosphere.

I hope Nancy is forced to trade in the big jet for a Chevy Volt with government plates on it. With this car her carbon footprint will be smaller, she will be supporting the UAW, and she will be saving taxpayer money. But best of all, her time on the road will prevent her from coming up with yet more disastrous legislation for the US of A.

Kate, I refer you to the website, Politifact.com, and their Obamameter. Of the specific promises that he made during his campaign, in two years, he's kept 122 of them, had to compromise on 41 of them, and broken 22. 236 are currently stalled in various forms of committee or Congressional red tape (you understand the President only has so much power over the Congress).

This President has fielded the most difficult opposition from the minority party that I've ever seen or read about, and, in less than two years in office, he still managed to keep 122 of his campaign promises outright. So before you go drinking the GOP "Democrats broke all their promises" Kool-Aid, you need to do a little research on that to be sure it's factually accurate.

When you consider that we went -- in a mere half dozen years -- from being a country that drums a politician out of a campaign for using the word "Macaca" to being one of the most openly and proudly racist societies in the industrial world today, I think that I can safely assert that the failure of promises to be kept and Dems to succeed comes largely from the fact that that country that elected George Bush six years ago, is not the same country we are today.

We are a failed, fallen empire, and in the end, it will be our hatred and bigotry that bring us down in the end. If I can ever get a job and pay off my debts, Vancouver is looking better and better.

His boyfriend at Fannie Mae most likely got nice bonuses due to the management there cooking the books as bad as Enron. Of course, when the criminals work for the Government they are never held accountable or prosecuted.

Tom, listening to the repug campaign ads is truly mind-boggling. All that corporate/foreign money pouring into their media campaigns - and still they just can't quite pull off the credibility thing.It's like their entire propaganda playbook was choreographed by Joseph Goebbels.

Anna, the good news is you look hot in your profile pic! the bad news is you fail to mention Imam's 2008 campaign 'donations'. Go look it up. The numbers are mind blowing.

Let me know when you come Boston one day and I'll show you a good time.

Archie, Barney Fwack is going to pull it off. Sad to say. His opponent Sean Bielat is a solid guy and a good citizen, but those idiots in Newton MA. continue to vote for one the greatest brothel owners of all time. The race will be closer than past Fwack wins.

I truly do wish that I run into Barney Fwack one day. I won't hit the fruitcake, but I will tell him off.

I would like to point out a few things that I find in most so called an self proclaimed conservative's, a well oiled greasy propaganda machine, with all these snide little "smart ass quip's", like you are the only ones that could possibly have anything intelligent to say. When there are known facts the more intelligent a person is the more progressive they are. It does not take any balls to do what the republican party has been doing over the past 30 years when they know the little people like Boltok keep believing that they actually want to do the right thing for the people,( LMAO ). So we keep on fighting the good fight and hope sooner or later people will wake up and see what has really happened with the republican party, it has been taken over by neofacists who believe in elitism.( i e Carl Rove etc.) As for people that want to believe our President you can, you are letting to many of the negative bull get to you it is not like they say believe me. Check the facts people will say anything, the facts speak for themselves and are all that matter

I've read all the comments and though I don't agree with everyone, I can understand why someone would find merit in each.

The problem is we are being intentionally manipulated and divided by those in power. We will never earn a place at the table until we overcome the conflicts they create for us. None of us can compete with Billionares separately. Victory will not be acheived by convincing others to see as you do on every issue.

The key to winning this War is by focusing on and solving the problems we agree on. Forget Healthcare, Deficits/Debt, Gay Rights, ect... Lets agree to disagree for the moment. Those are sapping our energy as planned.

I think we can all agree our Representatives are corrupt as is our entire political process. Lets focus on fixing that first. Lets march TOGETHER and demand our media is diversified and relieved of Corporate influence. Lets work TOGETHER and kick the Lobbyist out of our Government. Lets work TOGETHER.

It has always been the strategy of the establishment to create division among those it seeks to control. This is now further complicated by the influx of NON-ASSILMILATING immigrants both legal and illegal who dilute society by not sharing the common interests of Amerikans. Add to that the lack of any objective media not under the control of the establishment and it is easy to see why unity is nearly impossible to achieve. If we focus on our common needs and find a way to communicate outside of mainstream media maybe someday we can work together for change. Of course the establishment will brand such folks as dissident terrorists and make them disappear but if there are enough such courageous folks it will be a battle to imprison everyone !!

Archie Bunker"Tom, it is going to be a great day Nov 3rd when we wake up to see that Nancy "Lets pass the bill in order to find out what is in it" Pelosi will be giving up her big gavel. We taxpayers won't be paying millions for her big jet flying back and forth from coast to coast and polluting the atmosphere."Stop listening to assholes. Reality is far more complex than partisan talkingpoints.

"I hope Nancy is forced to trade in the big jet for a Chevy Volt with government plates on it. With this car her carbon footprint will be smaller, she will be supporting the UAW, and she will be saving taxpayer money."I assume you showed that same level of outrage at the time the auto bailouts passed into law. You know, in September 2008? Oh, you didn't? You didn't parade in the streets in outrage? You didn't march on Washington, signs held high? Or did you start to heat up only when it appeared the Republican ticket would lose, simmer when McCain/Palin lost, and boil when January 20, 2009 came around?

"But best of all, her time on the road will prevent her from coming up with yet more disastrous legislation for the US of A."Yeah! Instead, you'll have Boener bringing forward more tax cuts and deregulation! Woo! Party like it's 2003!

"His boyfriend at Fannie Mae most likely got nice bonuses due to the management there cooking the books as bad as Enron."Again, stop listening to assholes.

"Of course, when the criminals work for the Government they are never held accountable or prosecuted."Dick Cheney? Karl Rove? GW Bush?Oh, I'm sorry. You meant "people that I'm told do things that I'm told are criminal, but only where those people are Democrats".…I try to argue in good faith. I really do, but you make it so hard to!

Anonymous"I truly do wish that I run into Barney Fwack one day. I won't hit the fruitcake, but I will tell him off."I assume that you'll do the same for the hundreds of reps involved in the multi-step destruction of Glass-Steagall, too. Otherwise, you'd be scapegoating one guy for the three decade long orgy of deregulation that fed the bubble. I mean, blaming one guy would be as crazy as, say, going on MSNBC and blaming the little people!

krapaw420"Check the facts people will say anything, the facts speak for themselves and are all that matter"A full 18-33% of the country runs on their own facts, helpfully provided to them 24/7 across multiple media. Worse, you'll notice, nothing you say, no facts you provide, nothing is allowed to break the armour. You are not one of their Tribe.

Anonymous (I'm guessing a different one) "Lets march TOGETHER and demand our media is diversified and relieved of Corporate influence."That'll be expensive. We'll need corporate sponsorship.

"Lets work TOGETHER and kick the Lobbyist out of our Government."Naw. I've already got a lobbyist doing that for me.

"Lets work TOGETHER."Okay. Good luck. It's going to take more than capital letters to bring the sides together. All we can really do is pluck the low hanging fruit. The Tribal group (as with the Fundamentalists) is unreachable. Eventually some of them realize who is really lying (and how badly) to them.

Ellis D., Esq."This is now further complicated by the influx of NON-ASSILMILATING immigrants both legal and illegal who dilute society by not sharing the common interests of Amerikans."Not that I'm arguing with you (I agree with most of what you wrote), but most of the Mexicans have the same "common interests" as the rest of us (work, raise a family, etc), as do the Muslims. The "illegals" are a convenient commodity; they both work cheap (raising profitability and lowering, say, food prices) and, when the economy turns sour, they can be blamed for "stealin' our jerbs" (jobs, it must be mentioned, that we won't do, and barely did back when, for example, Tyson's slaughterhouses paid an okay wage in at least partially unionized shops). Mostly, it's not the Muslim Americans separating themselves from the common body (any more than, say, the Orthodox Jews), it's the Pam Gellars that push them out.Every new immigrant wave has trouble integrating. The first generation can't (too close to the Old Country, the old culture, the old history, too much of an accent, etc). Their kids do a little better. Their grandkids get to stand up straight. Then they try to pull up the ladder and prevent the next wave from coming. The Chinese, Irish, Italians, etc, all follow this pattern. They start out as a "them" to be used, thrown away and feared, and eventually get to be "us". Then they look out at the "tired...poor...huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of [another] teeming shore...the homeless, tempest-tost…" and say "Not them! Shut the door!"

You know I have probably given folks the impression that I don't like people from other places or other cultures. This is not the case at all. I see the similarities in all human needs and want these needs to be met. The issue to me is as follows....Amerika is the only country in the world that allows immigration that is to the detriment of the people already here. Maybe these immigrants are indeed a " valuable " commodity for the establishment's wealthy ruling class as they serve to lower wages for everyone who is not a CEO at IBM. The rap that Amerikan workers are unwilling to do menial, distasteful or difficult jobs is bullshit. I have addressed this before.....Amerikan workers are grossly underpaid. A full time worker making minimum wage will not earn enough annually to reach the poverty level. SHARE the wealth you cheap, greedy bastards !! The average worker should not have to work three jobs totalling 80 hours a week just to get the bills paid. We are taxed on just about everything but the polluted air we breathe while our wages border on SLAVERY !! So maybe if the establishment had fewer desperate immigrants to exploit, the rest of us could command a living wage from the cheap, greedy fuckers that horde all the wealth. There, now I feel better !!

Ellis, if you are for redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, then why not redistribute it across the world? Why not elevate the earning power of Mexico, India, Pakistan, etc. by exporting formerly American jobs to them? Are you for redistribution or not? You say that “the Ameri[c]an worker is grossly underpaid”. Hundreds of millions around the globe would beg to differ. They’d say we were a grossly spoiled and over-indulged bunch of whiners. Your logic is internally inconsistent – or it’s xenophobic.

Harley I've said this before...WE come first. THEN maybe we can help the rest of the world and NOT through imperialistic take over. Maybe we appear to be grossly spoiled over-indulged whiners to the rest of the world BUT in reality we are exploited in a worse way than those who are told outright that they don't mean shit to the ruling class and aren't deceived into believing there is opportunity that just doesn't exist in our demented form of capitalism !!

Don Floyd, a retired journalist who lives in Griffin, Georgia on Sarah Palin: A strange, fearful darkness covering the land we call America http://palingates.blogspot.com/2010/10/letter-by-journalist-on-sarah-palin.html

So, Ellis, you have a worldview for how, when and where the wealth should be distributed. Why do you condemn the capitalist for doing the same? On what do you base your ethic? And on what basis do you condemn the capitalist for his?

Harley....I feel it is UNETHICAL to be out collecting more than you need. Capitalists horde wealth to the detriment of those they trample over to obtain the wealth. As Einstein supposedly said " Capitalism creates a society in which people are made to work very, very hard to deprive each other...it creates a society in which people who create societies' wealth, I shall call them the worker to distinguish them from the money capitalists, are denied the full fruits of their collective labor. This is achieved not necessarily through physical force, but by subconsciously coercing the people to become compliant to the rules and regulations designed by the money capitalists. Capitalism diminishes and then destroys humanity's altruistic instincts and strengthens humanity's selfish instincts. " He then goes on to say that socialism is the only solution !! Dig it ??

I agree that November 3 is going to be a wonderful day! I'm going to make some homemade popcorn, drink a few beers & watch the fun the night of 11/02.

TIME magazine's article on possible civil war in America was interesting cause there is massive civil unrest in England/France this week & it will soon be crossing the ocean.With that, a book is surfacing that is a must read for us.( www.booksbyoliver.com )

It's what is going to happen after the elections cause democrats are known for civil unrest ('60s with anti VN war & union strikes).

NPB needs to stop spending our tax dollars. I think this is a bad mistake just before the elections. Not too smart!

anonymous"I agree that November 3 is going to be a wonderful day! I'm going to make some homemade popcorn, drink a few beers & watch the fun the night of 11/02."Cynical manipulators and ignorant Tribal absolutists take over at least 1/2 of the Legislative? That's like the worst Christmas ever.

"TIME magazine's article on possible civil war in America was interesting…"Link?

"It's what is going to happen after the elections cause democrats are known for civil unrest ('60s with anti VN war & union strikes)."Liberals are sullen and Teabaggers are carrying signs saying "It's not loaded, this time" and it's the liberal you're worried about?If the GOP's right arm splits off after they lose and goes [rhetorically] apeshit (to the point where they're out in the streets, protesting for the right to get dropped by their insurance company for medical insurance they can't afford anyway), what will happen when the their headlong rush even further to the right crashes harder than Dubya? (And, make no mistake, it will. They know even less about economics, the Constitution, history, etc than the Plutocratic arm of the GOP does)

Ellis, I do dig it. I am hip to your jive. Actually what I was asking was the basis for your confused and arbitrary ethic. Forget it. Anyway, socialism is dead - to be replace by state capitalism, so you might as well give up on that dream of yours. The fatal flaw I see in your analysis is the belief in the fundamental goodness of man. That is not reality. That is why capitalism, though not perfect, will always be the only way to grow an economy - it works WITH the greed and not counter to it. It's why Marxism necessarily includes force. But, no system will ever rid us of those who will take advantage of others. Man is morally fallen - it is the sad reality. And, that couldn't be more obvious.

The repug-bagnut-beck-bots are inspired by their vision. A vision of an authoritarian corpotocracy, accompanied by heavy overtones of a theocratic state. They can mouth the buzzwords of "freedom" and "rights" all they want, but what they REALLY mean is corporate freedom: Unlimited corporate power, where corpo-world dictates, poisons, pollutes, imprisons, outsources, factory farms, and sets prices with impunity. Wingnuttia longs for the day when multinational corporations take over all public commons, most government services - and just about everything is parceled out to the highest bidder. Everything that the public has paid for will be snatched up by those with the wealth to do so - wealth they've achieved on the backs of the American taxpayer. The investor class rich will continue to thrive and prosper, with their connections and willingness to play ball with the new bosses - and everyone else will be impoverished serfs, unable to purchase an actual education, and without the mobility to escape their corporate overseers.

The cognitively-challenged wingnuts whine about "wealth distribution", which is actually just FINE with them - as long as it's being distributed upwards. They certainly seem to have no problem with corporations and the rich getting every break imaginable, not paying their fair share, getting government handouts, bailouts, ad infinitum. That the their business risks are socialized and borne by the public isn't a problem for them.

But heaven help the citizen who thinks everyone should have healthcare coverage, or that the disabled, disadvantaged, or children should receive any public assistance! The frothing lunatics on the right scream and cry about SOCIALISM! Right on cue, they parrot back all the things their corporate "news" gargoyles have trained them to recite. Right from Goebbels strategy book, the corporate puppeteers know that if they repeat a lie often enough, it becomes "the truth".

"...it creates a society in which people who create societies' wealth, I shall call them the worker to distinguish them from the money capitalists, are denied the full fruits of their collective labor. This is achieved not necessarily through physical force, but by subconsciously coercing the people to become compliant to the rules and regulations designed by the money capitalists."

What a bunch of communist manifesto HORSESHIT.

Tommie Degan, ModusOperandi, Anna Van Z, and Ellis D. Marx,

I look forward to stopping by after Nov 2 to see your whining and gnashing of the teeth after the tea party massacre.

I don't see many Democrats who are trying to get re-elected advertise that they voted for the Health Care bill and Stimulus Plan. They got them passed, now they get the boot Nov 2.

Joe the Plumber is polling higher that Obama for president in 2012! LOL

Anna, you're so right. The American taxpayer, through funding of an exponentially over-bloated military budget, finances the multinational corporate aristocracy's need to have a military strong-arm, at-the-ready, similarly to the British East India Company of centuries ago. Sure, the East India Company had their own military, on payroll, but isn't the U.S. military really acting in the same capacity -- doing the same thing -- now? Doesn't the U.S. government's military really fill the same role, cleverly disguising its mission under the ruse of "national defense" "or "national security", or whatever term you want to use? There's no difference: it's capitalism-by-force, where the only "invisible hand" is the one pushing us down, or stroking the unwitting (i.e., the "cognitively-challenged wingnuts", teabaggers, etc., etc.) into believing a fairytale of patriotism and freedom linked to images and untruths tied to the past. It's a very sophisticated and crafty stratagem that undoubtedly makes the leaders of the old soviet empire green with envy. We've probably witnessed the first overthrow of a government, completely unbeknown to the vast majority of its repressed inhabitants, without a single shot being fired (except for assassinations, military excursions and occupations overseas, etc., etc.).

Like I've said many times, the fantasy and images of a republican democracy continue; the underlying structure and policy has completely changed. Hollywood couldn't write a better and more fascinating script -- not even Oliver Stone.

Now, as far as you, Boltok, and others who parrot the same tired refrain that your corporate handlers want you to repeat, you're still beholden to the very masters who don't give a rat's ass about your, or your family's, well-being. You've been propagandized and manipulated by the corporatocracy's message for so long, that you don't even know what's in your best economic interest. To America's detriment, your numbers are swelling, and unfortunately democracy suffers and degenerates when its people are ignorant and unknowing. Oh, and by-the-way, why don't you try to learn a little HTML? It might help you get your message across, whatever that is, and will prove to me you have at least some initiative to learn more than just the usual talking-points people of your persuasion can't seem to let go.

Beholden? I work half of the year just to cover the tax bill. To whom exactly am I beholden?

If I can earn, save and keep what I make, and not need to rely on government or an employer, to whom will I be beholden? Progressives need me to be beholden so I can pay for your nonsense. The deity needs my money to spread around.

I have flirted with the idea of creating a blog. The problem is the time necessary to provide a high quality, vetted, and consistent product. I don't care to write for people who agree with me. I'd rather smash glass houses. The problem there is my target audience will head for the hills. A catch 22 of sorts.

I like to argue, but not personally criticize the author or the blog itself. I appreciate the time and effort involved. (I do, however, like to criticize Bill from Delirium). I think this and most blogs suffer from a flaw. Blogs are often a reflection of the author's emotional state. People discount your message if they can figure out the baggage you haul. It takes much time to write in an axiomatic form. Time that I don't have.

I generally traffic on the blogs of those that I am not inclined to agree with. Maybe I learn something new, maybe not. Its just more interesting.

Boltok, until the republiFascists...more specifically, the extreme rightwing...can answer the following from Ten Questions for Teapartiers, truthfully, rationally, and reflectively, there's really nothing that your side offers that makes sense or is desirable.

Start a blog! I did, only after a lot of prodding from Tom and other friends. I agree, though, it's a time-eater. But, it allows me to get things off my chest and it forces me to research and explore other related issues.

Will you be throwing out all your Velvet Underground LPs after learning that drummer Maureen "Moe" Tucker is now a tea partier?

Archie

Tea Party to the Rescue WSJ:

Maureen "Moe" Tucker, former drummer of the Velvet Underground, has done the best job ever of explaining where the tea party stands and why it stands there. She also suggests the breadth and variety of the movement. In an interview this week in St. Louis's Riverfront Times, Ms. Tucker said she'd never been particularly political but grew alarmed by the direction the country was taking. In the summer of 2009, she went to a tea-party rally in southern Georgia. A chance man-on-the-street interview became a YouTube sensation. No one on the left could believe this intelligent rally-goer was the former drummer of the 1960s breakthrough band; no one on the left understood that an artist could be a tea partier. Because that's so not cool, and the Velvet Underground was cool.

Ms. Tucker, in the interview, ran through the misconceptions people have about tea partiers: "that they're all racists, they're all religious nuts, they're all uninformed, they're all stupid, they want no taxes at all and no regulations whatsoever." These stereotypes, she observed, are encouraged by Democrats to keep their base "on their side." But she is not a stereotype: "Anyone who thinks I'm crazy about Sarah Palin, Bush, etc., has made quite the presumption. I have voted Democrat all my life, until I started listening to what Obama was promising and started wondering how the hell will this utopian dream be paid for?"

"...So it turns out that one after another of the Tea Party candidates is in one way or another mooching off the government. The latest series of hilarious disclosures center around Alaska’s GI-Joe-bearded windbag Senatorial candidate, Joe Miller, who appears to have run virtually the entire gamut of government aid en route to becoming a staunch, fist-shaking opponent of the welfare state.

Miller’s pomposity and piety with regard to government aid programs has all along been in line with the usual screechingly hysterical self-righteousness Tea Party candidates bring to such matters, railing against Obamacare and other “entitlement” programs and promising to end the “welfare state.” That makes it all the more delicious now that he and his family have been exposed for taking state medical aid, unemployment insurance, farm subsidies, hell, even for using state equipment to run a private political campaign..." Read more here.

And it's really entertaining listening to people who claim to want the government "out of everyone's business" justify why they think it's fine for the government to decide if individuals can terminate their own pregnancies if needed, what contraceptives they can take, if they can get a payday advance or not, or even if they can play Poker at their own goddamn kitchen tables (SC), for chrissakes.And how convenient for tired old rockers to turn righty, now that they're way too old to have to worry about unplanned pregnancies! And if Mo and her ilk were so worried about the deficit, you'd think we would have heard something out of her and all the bag-nuts during the BushCo years! Remember Dubya? He's the one who took Clinton's surplus, and turned it into into the biggest deficit in history. And who lied us into a 100% unnecessary war, and borrowed up the ying-yang from China to finance it. And, who presided over the financial collapse that he and his cronies caused. Remember all that, you fucking geniuses? Where were all the teabag-nut-bots then??! Oh, I know - busy burning Dixie Chicks CDs, no doubt. Since they're all about "freedom"...

Are you telling me Maureen "Moe" Tucker is now Greedy, Selfish, AND a Consummate Hypocrite - the Repugli-bag Trifecta because she now understands that money does not grow on trees and jumped ship to the Tea Party?

Charles-its easier to read a book than to write one, shooting off smart ass remarks breaks up the monotony when stuck at a computer.

Jefferson-My answers, tell me how well I score1.NO2.NO3.YES free trade4.NO5.NO6.YES tort reform7.YES but legal requirment and penalties for accuracy8.NO9.WARS-NO (But POTUS can send missles at bin laden), CORPORATIONS YES(DUE PROCESS AND 1ST AMMED), THE REST NO10. Stop spending so much money,waste anywhere is not an argument for waste everywhere

Free trade creates more jobs than it destroys, counter intuitive but true.

Boltok, you didn't do too bad from a quantitative perspective, but you failed miserably qualitatively -- specifically on point 9. The fact that you, and all repubifascists, revere corporate personhood and the resultant legal manifestation that has made you, and I, second-class citizens to corporate entities -- not only in this country, but also worldwide -- shows me you've completely missed the point as to what the predominant and basic problem is in the United States right now. How in the world anyone could assume First or Fifth Amendment rights for contractual entities, which is really all a corporation is, equal to or over those of natural, living and breathing human beings, borders on insanity to me. Your perspective, and that of others who think like you, only proves to me you're not serious when you speak of originality when it comes to the U.S. Constitution. As Mr. Nader mentions, the word “corporation” or “company” never appears in the Constitution, so how can you justify First amendment rights and due process for a corporate charter that's granted by the state, or more specifically We, the People, as only a privilege?

The constitutional protections of free speech, privacy, and protection from overzealous prosecution were all results of the Founders of this country having lost these rights to a multinational corporation (East India Company) and the government that supported its right to so-called free trade.The original Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment that was part of the post-Civil War legislation necessary to free slaves in this country, were all put in place specifically to benefit and protect human beings -- not artificial persons, or legal fictions.

The core concept of American democracy, as established in the writings of the Founders, is that all institutions, from churches that claim to be created by gods, to businesses created by the wealthy or ambitious, to the very government itself -- all institutions -- are authorized by the people to exist and are answerable to only the people for their existence. There was never any intent, by the Founders, to equalize any institution to that of We, the People. Unfortunately, you, and others who think like you, haven't realized the consequences of allowing equality of artificial entities with that of real human beings.

If you, and others claiming to align their grievances with those of the original revolutionists, can't wrap your minds and hearts around this very distinct and basic truth, then all hope is lost and democracy will never be found within our borders again.

JeffersonThe one thing that separates the US from Uganda is the quality of US corporations. They protect shareholders, provide a productive basis for people, pay the most in taxes when you consider the employment,income,prop taxes, licenses, etc + the income taxes earned by all their employees. In addition the government has turned many companies into lifetime socialist programs e.g., union benefits that extend beyond employment during an individuals working years. GM and Chrysler are powerful corporations now.

In addition, they are efficient. The TOTAL profits of the health care insurance industry are less than the annual medicare FRAUD LOSSES. That is a true statement. The US loses more to medicare fraud than the entire healthcare industry makes in profits each year.

They also bring you gasoline and many other important services at a price less than bottled water.

There is nothing in the first amendment that limits anyone's ability to communicate.

If the people have a concern about unemployment, they should consider how to make it easier for corporations to do what they do.

Until I hear a person on the left decry Fannie and Freddie, and the idiots in congress that supported them, I will not begin to agree with your sentiments. Their losses will be AIG times a thousand when the dust settles.

Boltek, you're no different than other right-wingers when I bring up the concept of corporate personhood and its insidious ramifications. The response is always the same: "Well, corporations have given us so much...blah, blah, blah..." I appreciate the deer-in-the-headlights look, because it's a tough concept to follow, initially, but when the response is the same old tired and worn-out platitudes about how much corporations have given us, as if that's good enough reason to forego our constitutional rights, then I just walk away and shake my head in disbelief. Do you know why? It's because it has become very clear to me that republiFascists, like yourself, can't handle the real truth about what's happened in this country in the last 125 years -- and specifically the last 30. You really have no understanding of history, or really care to, so you just keep buying into the corporatocracy's line of propaganda and spouting the same redundant and cheap misleading one-line phrases and outright lies that Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly have lived and profited by.

Listen, as much "good" that corporations have "given us", you're completely missing the point of this discussion. And because I don't care to belabor this point, I'm hoping you'll take some time to research corporate personhood; it's history, how it was able to thrive through inept and misleading court precedence over the last 125 years, and finally how it has culminated in probably the worst High Court decision since Dred Scott in the late 1850s. You may not have a problem with corporations having equal and increasingly greater constitutional rights as you, but I sure do, as do millions of others who are waking-up to the total mockery our republican democracy has become because of this underlying disease. Read, my man, and learn! We'll all be better off for your efforts!

Boltek, by the way, I'm very capable of cherry-picking my data to support my conclusion, also. For example: 1.The five largest healthcare insurers in America declared more than $12 billion worth of profits in 2009; 2. Insurance companies in the health insurance market have made 250 percent profits over the last eight or nine years; 3.The total amount of Medicare fraud is an estimated $74 billion per year (estimated because statistics are not kept by the U.S. government); and 4. According to the FBI, the total estimated healthcare fraud, including public and private systems, will be up to $330 billion by the year 2012. So, assuming Medicare fraud is, for example, $100 billion yearly by then, up to $230 billion will be due to fraudulent activities involving private insurers.

As far as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, both were burned by the fraudulent and unregulated derivatives market that almost brought down the total financial system two years ago (which still is, by the way, going to prove to be the reason for an economic collapse before it's all said-and-done). So, although I'm certainly not defending either, to place blame on them for the debacle created by the large investment houses is analogous to blaming a rape victim because she was wearing high-heels. It's disingenuous and it's wrong.

Harley...so my belief in the fundamental goodness of man is the fatal flaw in my social beliefs ?? You say it is obvious that man has morally fallen ?? Well if that is even true it is a result of exploitation by those who feel for some reason they are superior to the rest of us. When given a fair deal man is essentially good. When exploited, deceived and mistreated antisocial behavior will RESULT. Without faith in the goodness of man a society will live in constant suspicion of its fellow man. Say goodbye to the presumption of innocence in criminal proceedings, the need for probable cause in police activity and any reason to act civilly toward others. Oh wait...that's the way it is now !! That's not the way I want to live, to do so makes the lack of faith in your fellow man a self fulfilling prophecy. Treat people well and give them the benefit of the doubt. To me THAT is what is obvious !!

boltok"MO, You should make a serious attempt at brevity. These blogs should have tighter word count constraints."I was being as terse as I can be while adequately illuminating my points. I was being brevitious. And that's not even a word!

"Are you Russian?"Is no!

"Your response seems to imply that liberal views are the only views acceptable."Wait. What? All I did was link to two NPR-related stories.

"Ergo, I should understand that Juan was being a 'bad' black. I see. He needed to be disciplined."Really? When NPR journalists appear on TV or other media, they are to refrain from expressing views they wouldn’t air as an NPR journalist...Basically, it wasn’t that NPR agreed or disagreed with Williams’ remark; he broke the code of ethics and undermined his credibility as a news analyst. It wasn’t his first such offense, either. (fm here)

"What a bunch of communist manifesto HORSESHIT."I like capitalism. You do, too. I like being able to wander in to the grocery store and be baffled by the hundred different kinds of cereal. I like socialism. You do, too. Public roads, public police, public fire departments.The argument isn't whether we should be full-bore Randian super-capitalists or Marxist state-owns-all-means-of-productionists. The argument is where on the continuum the ideal outcome lays.

"In addition, they are efficient. The TOTAL profits of the health care insurance industry are less than the annual medicare FRAUD LOSSES. That is a true statement. The US loses more to medicare fraud than the entire healthcare industry makes in profits each year."Fraud is an issue. Still, {citation needed} (a cursory googling shows an "if"-style estimate for medicare fraud at $74 billion a year which, make no mistake, is a lot, and annual healthcare industry profits at $200 billion a year. Note, too, that the two numbers are related)

"They also bring you gasoline and many other important services at a price less than bottled water."Bottled water that, in a bunch of cases, comes at public utility prices. A good example of negative externalities. You get, via your taxes, to pay for the public utilities to provide them the public water to bottle and sell to the public at private prices. They get to profit twice; publicly-subsidized water and private profits.

"If the people have a concern about unemployment, they should consider how to make it easier for corporations to do what they do."Tax cuts and deregulation?

Archie Bunker"I don't see many Democrats who are trying to get re-elected advertise that they voted for the Health Care bill and Stimulus Plan."Which goes to show how effective the Right's smear machine is (and, sadly, how few Dems have balls). That also has nothing to do with, say, the reality of the stimulus, which is better than the GOP's plan of NO!

Jefferson's Guardian"How in the world anyone could assume First or Fifth Amendment rights for contractual entities, which is really all a corporation is, equal to or over those of natural, living and breathing human beings, borders on insanity to me."Pah! Corporations are people! Immortal, amoral, billionaire people whose highest duty is to maximize profit, even if that comes by maximizing negative externalities! If the Cuyahoga has to be on fire, if Love Canal has to destroy your family's physical and mental development, if the fisherman has to be unemployed so that the corporation that owns the industrialized pig farm can record record profits, that's the price of freedom! The problem with you socialistliberalcommies is that you view the Tragedy of the Commons as a tragedy! U S A! U S A!